The Portland daily press., 1887-09-05

Leslie, could see, was utterly disconcert-
ed, and instantly relapsed into one of her
| most desperate fits of dumb shyness-an in
| nrmlty which had been gradually disappear-
| ing under the influence of Walter Deyereuy's
sunny, cordial manners and bright boyish
ways. Nevertheless she did her best. and
| aIter lew words had passed we all contin-
ned up the East drive, Leslie leading with
| Walter. This arrangement did not altogeth-
er please me. Though Marion Deyereux
made himself very agreeable, his big gray
morse, EmdeX' was too risky to suit me as
north end OF the park, Pet Marjorie did
something or other that caused me TO give
sllght scream and drop my whip. This
| Drought walter back at once, and caused
| Nindex to dance and prance in a way that
at once excited Leslie's admiration. while
the aoomlnable capers that Roushan Bey
lmmedlately proceeded to execute as evident
~ hlled Marion DevereuX with respect and
| approval.
| Walter found that Pet Mariorie's girths
needed tightening, and took the opportuni--
| W 70 adjust my hair. Perhaps Walter need
NOT nave spent so much time buttonlng my
groves and arranging my skirt, but men are
| silly creatures the wisest of them.
| When we overlook Leslie and Marion tney
were half way up Seventh avenue, walking
| their horses slowly forward and chattlug
| Ike old friends; and next morning, When
/ waiter ana Marion appedI6u bOSNbhOis ohOlC
| were no black looks or freezing glances from
| Leslie-quite the reverse. once get a shy
| girl started, and what a pace she VIII go! In
| less than fortnight Les and Marion had
neither eyes, ears nor tongue lor anyone put
themselves. Shakespeare says something
| about making pair of stairs to love (at least
| Mary Anderson says it, if Shakespeare
| didn't but what these two made was to-
| boggan slide. If | had acted sol
| One day late in June we all met at the
| riding school for the last time before sepa-
| rating for the summer. This ride we meant
| should be long one, but the day was very
unpromising. 1t had rained the whole night
| through, the roads were very muddy, and the
| sky anything but clear. Nevertheless, after
much discussion, and sitting around the par
lors, and going to the door to look at the
weather, out was the word, and the horses,
which had been saddled and turned round
since o'clock, were ordered down.
new delay! Roushan Bey had rubbed
the buckle Of his halter into his eye during
the night, and could not be ridden.
Leslie, always prompt, at once sent for an
old steeplechaser belonging to her uncle, Mr..
Chiswich, which was kept at a stable Just
across the street. He had never been ridden
by a lady, but this was rather an attraction
to Leslie though, after one look at the white
CLEAN in his eye, would have ordered a cof-
hin and shroud sooner than mounted Quasi
modo, as the beast was called
In no wise daunted by the fact that the
horse kicked at her the moment he saw the
skirt adroitly evading the kick, Les signed
to the groom to put his hand over Quasimo-
dos near eye, stole quietly close up to the
horses shoulder, and barely touching the
nand Marion DevereuX offered, sprang light
" into the saddle. Drawing the rens gently
through her fingers, she ordered the groom to
back the horse out into the street without
letting go his head. On the way to the park
Quasimodo behaved well enough, but the
moment he felt the dirt road beneath his
feet he dashed with violence that made me
nf mi hao IL
Jumps, and went up the West drive in sue
cesslon OF mad plunges, snatching angrily at
the bride and taking every bit of rein. |
saw Leslle's light figure braced well back,
yielding Just enough at each plunge to ease
the jar OF landing, heard her clear voice
Marion Devereux's well done! well rid
uen when Walter, laying hand gently
start.
your cousin is all right" he said. sDo
not follow her too closely; it would only up
set Pet Marjorie and spoil, Miss Leslie's
In fact, some twenty minutes later, when
we came up with the other two, Quasimodo
and Nindex were quietly walking side by
side, rubbing noses, and doubtless discussing
the quantity of oats and quality of hay as
earnestly as their riders were arguing the
often moGted question as to whether Omar
khayyain were Omar Khayyam, or if Omar
Khayyam were not Omar Khayyam, then
wiz Oiudl Ut.
No further prankS on the part of the quad |
rupeds marred our long and delightful ride,
until, as we were returning, some one pro-
posed that we should take the hurdle four |
abreast. This was most successfully accom-
plished, and after jumping we halted under |
the bridge just below to let Marion Dever
eux dlsmount and take stone out of his
horses foot
He was bending down, thus engaged, when
Walter cried out, Take care, Miss Effing-
hamw But in second, before Leslie could
gather up her reins or use her whip, Quasim-
odo calmly lay down on his left side, thereby
allowing Les time to twist herself from un-
der before he rolled over and over in the
wettest place he could find, smashing the
saddle to bits, aud covering himself with mud
from head to foot
Stately Les was spectacle as she rose |
from her undignifed roll. Her shining yell |
low hair was plastered with black mud hat |
habit and boots were one mass of sticky wet /
clay, but her good humor was unrutfied, and |
she joined heartily in the shouts of laughter
which greeted her as she arose.
Needless to say, Walter and Marion both |
sprang at once to her assistance, but beyond |
wringing out her hair and wiping off the /
worst OF the soft mud, little could be done. |
Such incidents as this never troubled Leslie |
but when the saddle was found to be a hope |
less wreck, the question was how to get |
home. Leslie refused point blank to go up |
the foot path and get on an Eighth avenue |
car, saying she would walk to the entrance
lead Quasimodo back to his stable. Marion
Devereux at once proposed to put Leslie on
VindeX (she could ride quite well sideways
on a mans saddle and walk by her.
To my surprise Leslie did not reject this |
plan, nor when Walter suggested that he and |
/ should ride forward and send a carriage |
and wraps to meet her at the gate did Leslie |
raise any objection.
As it turned out that carriage must have |
waited long time. Perhaps Leslie and |
Marion took the 'long path that our Auto |
crat tells of-the path that it takes lifetime |
to follow to the end. Certain it is that hours |
passed before Leslie reached home, and it |
was not long before the columns of The |
Gotham Chit Chat published as a social hap |
pening the engagement of Miss Leslie Effing- |
ham TO Mr.. Marion DevereuX.
When, where and how Walter and | ar
rived at a life understanding must ever re-
main between ourselves. Suffice it to say
that this conclusion was not reached until
Walter had acknowledged that the asking
me to exercise Pet Marjorie was a mere de-
vice; that ever since class day he had wished
to meet me again, and that he had only de-
ferred speaking so long from the fear of
losing the happiness of seeing me every day.
Leslie's ring was a sapphire set in gold
four leaved clover, and mine solitaire set
in the same way. We had double wedding
which many still remember, but by those in
the secret it was always called 1.-The quatre-
foil wedding"